The present invention relates to an occupant protection system for protecting an occupant in a car in the event of a front crash and, more specifically, relates to an occupant protection system including a deployable body that deploys vertically and horizontally in a vehicle cabin.
Airbag systems are widely used as occupant protection systems for protecting a vehicle occupant in the event of a car crash. Japanese Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 10-264761 has disclosed an airbag system in which an airbag is inflated downwardly from a ceiling of a cabin toward a front of a rear seat. The rear-seat airbag system disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 10-264761 sufficiently protects an occupant with a large-capacity airbag filling a space in front of the occupant. However, the system requires an extremely high-output gas generator. The rear-seat airbag system also requires a space sufficient for the airbag to be inflated in front of the occupant. It is therefore difficult to apply the system to a case in which a space in front of the occupant is limited.
In view of the problems described above, an object of the present invention is to provide an occupant protection system that inflates an airbag sufficiently early even with a relatively low-output gas generator and capable of sufficiently protecting an occupant.
Another object of the invention is to provide an occupant protection system applicable even if a space ahead of the occupant is limited.
Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of the invention.